CONSUMER CONFIDENCE DIP CALLED ONLY A BLIP

WASHINGTON -- Like a climber on a rocky mountain summit, consumer confidence has trekked up and slid down this year on its way to reaching a 30-year high in February, according to polling by the Conference Board, based in New York.Indeed, after breaking its own record, the Consumer Confidence Index slipped slightly again in March, the most recent figures available, falling about three points to 137.4.According

WASHINGTON -- Like a climber on a rocky mountain summit, consumer confidence has trekked up and slid down this year on its way to reaching a 30-year high in February, according to polling by the Conference Board, based in New York.

Indeed, after breaking its own record, the Consumer Confidence Index slipped slightly again in March, the most recent figures available, falling about three points to 137.4.

According to analysts who have watched the year's pattern develop, the late